The use of wallpaper borders has become popular in recent years. Wallpaper border adds an inexpensive decorative accent to a room and can be applied by the home owner.
Two common problems faced are applying the wallpaper border high on a wall and applying an entire roll continuously. Wallpaper borders are normally applied horizontally on a wall where it meets the ceiling. Accordingly, the wallpaper border roll must be supported near the ceiling to facilitate its application. One way to circumvent this application difficulty is to apply the wallpaper border in sheet sections. However, this can lead to unsightly seams where the sections abut or overlap.
Others, including U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,543 to Campagna, and a border applicator sold under the trademark BORDERMATE sold by Paint Sundry Products, Inc. of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, have attempted to address these problems. The U.S. Pat. No. '543 patent discloses a pole-and-canister system for applying wallpaper borders. A cup-shaped canister having a lid is mounted near the tip of a shaft. The shaft extends into the canister. A longitudinal slit is provided in the wall of the canister from the canister top to the lower marginal end of the canister. A roll of wallpaper border rests inside the canister around the portion of the shaft extending into the canister. The wallpaper is played out through the slit. This device allows one person to apply a wallpaper border by propping the device against a wall and dispensing wallpaper as needed by moving the device in the direction the border is being applied.
However, the device of the U.S. Pat. No. '543 patent has short comings. First, many wallpaper borders have an adhesive pre-applied to their backs. The adhesive is activated by contact with water, forming a paste. Using the device disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. '543 patent, excess water or paste can collect in the base of the canister until it reaches the level of the bottom of the slit. Any additional excess water or paste will then flow out of the canister. Further, as the device of the U.S. Pat. No. '543 patent applies the end of the wallpaper border roll, it is possible that the end may unwind from the shaft and spring through the slit, again causing water or paste to leak from the canister.
Paint Sundry Products, Inc. sells a wallpaper border applicator under the trademark BORDERMATE. Similar to the device described in the U.S. Pat. No. '543 patent, the BorderMate uses a canister mounted on a shaft. However, the provided slit in the BorderMate canister does not extend the entire length of the canister wall. In addition, the wallpaper border rests on an annular flange which is adjustably mounted on the shaft. When the flange is adjusted correctly, the bottom of the wallpaper border rests on the shaft at the level of the bottom of the slit. Accordingly, the portion of the canister below the slit acts as a reservoir for any water or paste. However, the end of the wallpaper border can still unwind from the shaft and spring through the slit, potentially causing excess water or paste to leak from the canister.
The present invention broadly provides an applicator for a wallpaper border roll having a reservoir for excess water and paste, and a journaled spindle to which the wallpaper is attached by passing an end of the wallpaper through a slit on the spindle.